The invention relates to a ball mat for the loading deck of an aircraft, to support cargo and assist the movement thereof.
Known ball mats comprise a cover plate and a floor plate that is disposed substantially parallel to the cover plate. In addition holders are provided into which balls or ball elements can be inserted, by way of apertures in the cover plate, and between the cover and floor plates an interior space is defined, within which the holders are disposed.
The balls, a segment of which extends above the cover plate, at their uppermost points define a plane on which cargo can be shifted with very slight frictional losses.